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lololovesthings's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars.
Ana Huang's "If We Ever Meet Again" is a predictable dual POV, dual timeline romance with a lot of drama and some steam, but it still kept me entertained the entire time I read it. Farrah and Blake begin their year abroad in Shanghai in a contestable acquaintanceship that eventually becomes more as they develop feelings for each other. Them not liking each other at first leads to some very witty banter and funny moments, but also so miscommunication. Blake was a football star who has since quit, much to his father's dismay. He now dreams of opening a sports bar but is unsure how to do so since his future seems a little aimless. Farrah is a design student with a big heart and even bigger dreams. They seem like polar opposites, but the more they are thrust together with their adjoining friend groups, the more they find they belong with one another. This book is cute at times and heartbreaking at others. A little spice is thrown in for good measure, which I found to be well-written and s3xy! Huang allows her audience to get to know Farrah and Blake as individuals before they come together in a romantic sense (which is all the more reason why you'll hate Blake at the end of this book!). I like that Huang doesn't shy away from using Shanghai as a character in its own right. She fills her pages with vivid descriptions of Chinese culture, landmarks, food, and customs, so much so that I felt immersed in the city itself. I also like how Farrah and Blake's friends feel like real people and not just characters thrown on the page to find scenarios for the protagonists to get together, and they are never heard from again. Despite being a rather short book page-wise, it still feels like it could have been shorter as it can get repetitive here and there. As I mentioned, I haaaaaated Blake by the end of the book, but just know going into it it ends on a cliffhanger, so I have a feeling I know where it's all going (like I said, it's predictable)! I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. TW: cheating.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ana Huang, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Ana Huang's "If We Ever Meet Again" is a predictable dual POV, dual timeline romance with a lot of drama and some steam, but it still kept me entertained the entire time I read it. Farrah and Blake begin their year abroad in Shanghai in a contestable acquaintanceship that eventually becomes more as they develop feelings for each other. Them not liking each other at first leads to some very witty banter and funny moments, but also so miscommunication. Blake was a football star who has since quit, much to his father's dismay. He now dreams of opening a sports bar but is unsure how to do so since his future seems a little aimless. Farrah is a design student with a big heart and even bigger dreams. They seem like polar opposites, but the more they are thrust together with their adjoining friend groups, the more they find they belong with one another. This book is cute at times and heartbreaking at others. A little spice is thrown in for good measure, which I found to be well-written and s3xy! Huang allows her audience to get to know Farrah and Blake as individuals before they come together in a romantic sense (which is all the more reason why you'll hate Blake at the end of this book!). I like that Huang doesn't shy away from using Shanghai as a character in its own right. She fills her pages with vivid descriptions of Chinese culture, landmarks, food, and customs, so much so that I felt immersed in the city itself. I also like how Farrah and Blake's friends feel like real people and not just characters thrown on the page to find scenarios for the protagonists to get together, and they are never heard from again. Despite being a rather short book page-wise, it still feels like it could have been shorter as it can get repetitive here and there. As I mentioned, I haaaaaated Blake by the end of the book, but just know going into it it ends on a cliffhanger, so I have a feeling I know where it's all going (like I said, it's predictable)! I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. TW: cheating.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ana Huang, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
marippe's review against another edition
2.5
Blake when I catch you, when I catch you Blake.
Blake acts like an Episode character, I could just see the hairflipping animation when he said “you can’t fix perfection.”
The “she’s a virgin omg,,,” thing was pushed very hard on this and it was so weird.
What was even weirder was the whole issue with her orgasming for the first time, and then on the next page she starts traumadumping about her dad’s death, to then CONTINUING fucking???? I was like … ????? what is happening hello???? How are you still horny!
Although Blake and Farrah’s initial interactions were so awkward it made me wanna scream, they got better as they got to know each other. I didn’t mind the friends too much — justice for my man nardo hes just tryna vibe.
I mean it’s obvious that Blake didn’t really cheat on Farrah, but damn hes an idiot for getting blackout drunk with an ex that people think you’re getting back with. Not to victim blame but hes an idiot 😭
Not revealing it to Farrah to save her the worry of being cheated on is WAY WORSE than what he did. Mans basically said “Everything was a lie. You are unlovable and a joke” instead of “I got really drunk I’m sorry.”
This book was just … an experience. I blame this experience solely on Blake
Blake acts like an Episode character, I could just see the hairflipping animation when he said “you can’t fix perfection.”
The “she’s a virgin omg,,,” thing was pushed very hard on this and it was so weird.
What was even weirder was the whole issue with her orgasming for the first time, and then on the next page she starts traumadumping about her dad’s death, to then CONTINUING fucking???? I was like … ????? what is happening hello???? How are you still horny!
Although Blake and Farrah’s initial interactions were so awkward it made me wanna scream, they got better as they got to know each other. I didn’t mind the friends too much — justice for my man nardo hes just tryna vibe.
I mean it’s obvious that Blake didn’t really cheat on Farrah, but damn hes an idiot for getting blackout drunk with an ex that people think you’re getting back with. Not to victim blame but hes an idiot 😭
Not revealing it to Farrah to save her the worry of being cheated on is WAY WORSE than what he did. Mans basically said “Everything was a lie. You are unlovable and a joke” instead of “I got really drunk I’m sorry.”
This book was just … an experience. I blame this experience solely on Blake
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
chelle22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
My summary: Farrah Lin and Blake Ryan are college students abroad for one year in Shanghai, China. Farrah is from California with hopes of becoming a designer. Blake is from Texas and gave up a successful college football career and is escaping abroad as he finishes up a business degree. Farrah first was annoyed by the cocky Blake, but as part of the same small foreign exchange friend group, they soon become friends and then lovers as the clock ticks down on their one year together.
My thoughts: This book is told from a dual POV and the audiobook has a female and male narrator. The narrators annoyed me a bit. The internal monologues were fine, but them doing other voices was grating. The volume level wasn’t consistent between the two narrators, so I found myself constantly having to adjust the volume. As far as the plot goes, it was fine albeit slow paced. More melancholy than I was expecting and I’m afraid I’m just too old now to appreciate the partying and naive college student POV.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
gabs_parr's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy and Classism
sarahsbookss's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Infidelity
clover6872's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Starts out pretty good. However, the ending gives no resolution and I imagine you’d have to suffer through the rest of the series to get one. This book made me dislike college students instead of looking back on that time with nostalgia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
chelsearose's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity
Minor: Alcohol
queenie_ofthe_void's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not my favorite A.H. book by far, and unfortunately I read Alex/Ava's story first and it's really similar. More summary in the second book review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
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